Take her catchphrase – How easy is that? – as an example. It suggests that even intimidating dishes can be made totally doable, like these pretty and delicious shortbread cookies.

The Barefoot Contessa shares a recipe for a cookie with a universally-beloved flavor profile. Who could resist chocolate, Nutella and butter?

"This is another variation of my friend Eli Zabar's delicious shortbread cookies," she writes in her 2010 cookbook, How Easy Is That?. "I love the combination of shortbread, roasted hazelnuts, and chocolate. The shortbread can be baked in advance, wrapped with plastic, and then filled with Nutella just before serving."